Hawea Heiau, Maunalua

 Besides trying to suck as much information out of random people's minds as politely as possible,

when I meet someone for the first time with information about a site I'm visiting. Sometimes I end up gathering their contact information and suggest another meet up that we can talk more. Or at places where I meet someone having responsibility over a certain area, I ask if I can come back and help contribute on another day. Sadly, I keep their information and rarely ever return for some reason.

This past Saturday marked the second Saturday of the month and the opportune time for me to return to Hawea Heiau, since the last post about Hawaii Kai and it's numerous historical sites. Sam was the gentleman there last time that invited me to return during their monthly volunteer day open to the public. Sam normally works by himself throughout the week behind a locked fence and a dust shield of the construction project below the ridge. A private community of condos and the Oahu Club mark the other boundaries of the remaining Keawawa Marshland and Hawea Heiau.

I got there at about 8am and went straight to work carrying the earlier week's garbage bags down the ridge to the level that a truck can drive to below. Kaleo Paik was there directing everyone with the tasks for the day and I tried to stay close to her when ever she shared anything about the area. 

At first Sam was sharing what he had recently uncovered while clearing, with his friend Tim. A math teacher from KCC. Kaleo began to point out things she knew of, like this Honu petroglyph. It's head is facing to the top right of the image and it's hind right fin is on the opposite side. She mentioned that petroglyphs will have a pecking spot that will flow into the lines of the drawing most of the time. I've read about and even seen better images than I took this day. Years ago, but I could never figure out exactly where they were in Hawaii Kai.

Here is the beginning of the first noticeable perimeter terrace at the foot of the remaining ridge. Keep in mind that the structure naturally continues even lower into the next property. Where most of that area has been disturbed and prepped for construction of new projects. This is just one of a possible two or more terraces to be observed as the site now sits after clearing.

Here we are towards the center of the already cleared area on the ridge with Kaleo, Tim, and Sam. As pictured from right to left.

This pit on the eastern side of the ridge and heiau, as pointed out by Kaleo was disturbed in modern times. Bulldozing occured in this area during Henry Kaiser's ownership of the land. This area was set aside luckily during development but was cleared for the planning of a park. Most of the wetland was filled in to make room for modern homes.

Sam rediscovers things that will be ready for the archeologists turn at the site, while he clears the complex and marks the locations with colored stones... 

Here's a moment when I wish I had a better camera. This image contains a circle or piko in the lower right corner. An older black and white image I came across in the past revealed a human figure on the left of it as well...

The etching on the lower center is modern "petroglyphiti" as Sam wittingly mentioned. But the deep "T' cut is not, as pointed out by Kaleo....

Here on the western side of the ridge and heiau is another pit. A little more preserved than the other but filled in from sediment of time.

Looking straight up the ridge from my many trips of carrying garbage bags down the cleared section of the heiau.

Looking back down the ridge noticing the higher terrace wrapping around the heiau complex. As the clearing has revealed to date...

This spot is where Sam marked a spot that he found an ash like debris while clearing. He wanted to let the archaeologists test the ash before he disturbs it any further during clearing...

Someone mentioned that the coconut trees located here. Hewa and nelo, are some of the tallest in the pacific rim. After hearing that, another volunteer working in the marshland area asked if they were taller than the ones at Iolani Palace. I thought to myself that she was thinking of Royal Palms instead and if that was the case. Then the ones at Aiea Post office are the tallest I've ever seen...

Here is where my own story will continue in this area for as long as it permits. Kaleo chose another volunteer and I to be the ones to help plant these Niu and Loulu in the complex. Years from now I hope I can revisit these plants and see them grow far into the future. The coconut Niu are actually offspring of the trees that were here since long before modern times..

Here is where we planted the Loulu. Near the water to provide shade for the mud hens that still call this place home. This was officially the first time I have ever planted anything in the earth in my life.

Later we moved toward the coconut grove to find the best spot to plant the Niu. I saw the well the whole time but was waiting for an introduction by someone to tell me the significance of it before I approached it.

It shows evidence of the main freshwater spring for the area. Modern construction of the well shows concrete between the stones. Possibly built during peak of the cattle days of Oahu. The lower stone although, are not using concrete to hold the form of the well and that reveals an older time of construction... 

Here is where the first Niu tree was planted after we cleared the surrounding area. Kaleo was the one to choose this exact spot and after we started digging. We found roots of a dead coconut tree in the same spot.

Here is where the second spot was chosen to plant the next Niu. Kaleo was the main contributor of it's location as well. This time aside form finding more roots of an older tree. Kaleo's clairvoyance was really hyping her up with her awesome location choosing. It was also very close to another old stump of a coconut tree that was shielded by a circle of stones protecting or marking it's base. Also nearby was a pohaku that showed significance with more smaller stones surrounding it. We were instructed not to disturb it and to reserve it for the archaeologists study. 

Here is the last Niu we planted a little closer to the base of the ridge and out of the canopy of the older coconut grove area. After every planting of the Niu. Everyone present gathered around and offered prayers or something uplifting to the young seedling. I have rarely ever prayed out loud for even a small group of people and when the time came from right to left I just let it flow as best I could. Some sounded as if they were about to cry while speaking. Others were more of a composed and stern outlook, although wishing for the same long life and nourishment for the plant. The student from UH that was my main partner as planter busted out a Polynesian accent and started jamming using words that had T's in them bouncing her tongue. Myself, I just recalled the drums of Hawea and how the sounds of it are lost to people like us in the present time. This young tree is an offspring of the ones that indeed did hear the sound of the paku from Kahiki, and did see the culmination of the migration of Mo'ikeha and La'amaikahiki possibly come through the makaha of the fishpond and directly here. Where the waters edge met Hawea Heiau in the past. I hoped that it would remember all time in this area. Before and after my own presence and conception...

I will never forget the lessons I have learned on this day and will always return to this wahi pana was much as I can. Like a young reader of Shakespeare, favoring the characters of Marc Anthony or Oberon. I feel compelled to favor the mo'olelo of Ma'ilikukahi, and Oahunui. Now added are Mo'ikeha and Hawea. Until I can learn all I can and then pass down the shining qualities of the many individuals and structures to the next generation... 

After the cleanup I had a few hours to kill in the day. I remained in Maunalua and decided to forgo watching a body board competition at Sandy beach for a quick assent of the Makapuu Lighthouse trail.

Once up top I remembered about how McAllister's island wide study began at this exact spot. A pohaku, Malei was #1 on his map. Although lost to history, Malei was a female fishing shrine located on the Koolau side of the point. It was for attracting Uhu and was said to have been taken away, pushed off the cliff, buried, or destroyed for some reason lost to history...

I descended from the top and locked my bike up, to hike down to the tide pools. The sun was still very high to be spending the rest of the day in the tide pools. So I continued down and toward Pele's Chair to find a cave mentioned in my research. The first time I hiked here with a few friends I cut a huge gash under my foot in the tide pool and to walk back up and down to the parking lot dripping blood everywhere. This time I was prepared and wearing shoes...

Once down at sea level, one can continue past the main attraction of the tide pools and continue back west on a trail that leads back to Pele's Chair and Allen Davis beach. Along the way you will come across other tide pools. One larger than the more visited ones at the bottom of the cliff. A pretty large cave is also there. I'm unsure if it's named but Mo'ikeha is said to have had two sisters that decided to stay on Oahu as he traveled the islands headed to Kauai. Makapu'u and Maka'aoa supposedly lived in a cave in the area....

The preservation of the cave is unreal compared to others that I have visited on island. No graffiti or broken bottles, and stone terraces are still to be seen. A larger table looking stone although toppled over, was centered into the back of the cave.

I imagined burials, or mounds for sleeping being left here from the past but I later realized it to be the work of large sea birds living here from time to time. The whole cave smelled like a zoo and later when I was at the tide pools. I saw hikers notice the cave but not enter it, possibly because of that reason. Please keep doing so...

Here is the deepest point of the cave and it looks like a small person or animal could continue on deeper into the mountain.

Hi'iaka was also said to be seen here in the ancient times. A cave the had a god with eight eyes scared visitors of this area away with legends that continue on until today...